op youngstown



Nov. 9 1926.

H. c. WILLIAMSON E-r AL GAS VALVE Filed Sept. 28, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet lLGGSAM Nov. 9 1926.

H. C.. WILL|AIMSON ET AL GAS4 VALVE l Filed Sept. 28, 1925 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 9, 1926.

intatti stares Parent ortica.

HERBERT C. WILLIAMSON AND BUFORD IVI. STUBBLEFIELD, OF YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO7ASSIG-NORS TO THE YOUNGSTOWN SHEET AITD TUBE COMPANY, OF YOUNGSTOWN,

OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

GAS VALVE.

Application filed September 28, 1925.

The present invention relates to an improved. form of valve forcontrolling the iow of gases from retorts, furnaces and the like and isparticularly .adapted for effecting the control of the gases passingfrom by-product coke furnaces to the collector main utilizedin'conjunction therewith and in which the gases from the differentfurnaces in the battery are collected and thence conveyed from thefurnace preparatory to distillation or other suitable treatment inaccordance with the well known practice.

In the operation of such furnaces the gases in their passage therefromdeposit considerable quantities of carbon on the walls of the passagesthrough which they flow and these deposits must be removed Vfrom time totime to maintain a kfree passage for the gases and to insure the properoperation of the valve by which their flow is controlled, such removalbeing preferably effected by thoroughly flushing the interior of thevalve body or casing with a suitable flushing liquid introducedthereinto by suitable spray nozzles or the like.

A principal object of our invention is to provide a valve for theYpurpose aforesaid so constructed as to afford a continuous liqv uidseal against the passage of thel gases when the valve is closed, theliquid forming the seal being derived from the flushing liquid utilizedin freeing the interior of the valve casing from the carbon deposits andwhich is adapted to permit the flushing liquid, in excess of thequantity required to form the seal, to continuously overflow into thecollector main or other receptacle with which the valve is connected sothat the said liquid is prevented from collecting in the valve casing inundesirable quantities after it has performed its function of cleaningthe carbon deposits from the interior thereof.

Qur invention also contemplates a novel arrangement of spray nozzle-sfor spraying the interior ofthe valve casing and the valve with flushingliquid so as to effectively `remove the deposits of carbon, as well asprovision of a valve body of novel design whereby the possibility of theflushing liquid overflowing into the ascension pipe and thence passingto the furnace in case for any reason it cannot escape past the valveSerial No. 59,226.

and into the collector main in the normal manner is minimized.

A further object of our invention is the provision of improved means foroperating the valve from a point exterior of the valve casing with amaximum of convenience from a plurality of different points such as thecharging lorryythe collector ma-in walk or the top of the furnacebattery.

Our invention additionally includes other objectsand novel featuresof'design, construction and arrangement hereinafter more specificallyreferred to or which will be apparent from the accompanying drawingsforming a part hereof.

For the purpose of enabling those skilled in the art to understand andpractice the invention we have illustrated in the said drawings and willnow proceed to describe, a preferred embodiment thereof installed inconnection with one of the furnaces cont prised inthe battery of aby-product coke furnace, only so much of the furnace proper and its wellknown auxiliaries being illustrated, however, kas is necessary for anadequate comprehension of the invention.

In the said drawings, Fig. l is a central vertical section throughthevalve, valve casing and ascension pipe with which the latter mentaryenlarged section on line et-i in Fig. 2 looking in the direction of thearrows; Fig. 5 is a top plan view ofthe valve clapper removed from thecasing and Fig. 6 a central vertical section through the valve clapper`on a larger scale. Like symbols are used to designate the same partsinthe sevn eral figures.

As shown. and in accordance with the usual practice the furnace may beprovided withk a collector main C which extends across the tops of theseveral furnacesv cont posing the; battery and is carried on supports Sin turn mounted on suitable framework S. Each individual furnace in thebattery is provided with a vertically disposed ascension pipe which isusually formed of independent sections l5 P connected by a flexsionpipeto give access to the interior of the same for cleaning, under normalconditions of operation this openingbeing closed b v a cover O.

The valveforming the subject of our 1nvention is interposed between `theend of` the ascension pipe and the collector. main and as showncomprises a valve casing 1, generally cylindrical in horizontalisection,from which extends a conduit preferably formed integral rwith the casingproper. and

connecting` the.. interior ofthe latter withv the end fof Vtheascensionpipe7 the free4 treinity, of the conduit being provided with aflange 3 cooperating withy the flange F andr suitably securedy thereto.Preferably the conduit is curved or inclined downwardly from its pointof connection with the ascension pipe to the point where it merges intothe valve casing so that vat the latter.

point the. upper interior-surface. of thecon duit is in substantial.vhorizontal valignment t with the lower interior. surface thereofad-vjacent the flange 3. The conduit may be provided with suitablypositioned spooning` holes 4, 4 for permitting inspection of itsinterior, or the introduction of scraping tools or the like if desired;these holes maybe provided with removable covers of any suitable type. v

'Thevvalve casing V1 embodies a preferablyintegral depending skirt orflange 6 adapted for connection tothe top of the collectormain C andisvopen at its upper-end so as to permit access to its interior. Forclosing the upper end of the casing-a cover-7 is provided and ispreferably secured to an arm 8 hinged to a bracket 9 on the side of thecasing and .conveniently provided with' a substantially verticallyextending member 10 having. a hooked. extremity to afford a convenientmeans of raising. and lowering-v the cover about the pivot.

Disposed within and rising above the Hoor or. bottom 11 of the casing isan annular dam or ring 12 which is preferably arranged lin axial.alignment with theslnrt v6, and may extendthereinto for a shortdistance-- This dam is preferably cast integral with the web 13 whichforms part of the casing floor,- the .plane ofV which is :somewhat belQwthe flevel of the interiorof the :conduit fatit's point of juncture withVthe valve casing, whereby a moat- 14 is formed at the bottom ofL thelatter and bounded on its inner side by the dam, which, in turn, boundsthe out let from the casing.

The floorof the yeasing on the side ofthe latter opposite to that towhich the'conduit is connected is extended outwardly as at 11 beyond theline on the skirtl to form the bottom of an offset pocket 15 in thelower part ofthefcasingandsthrough this pocket is hori zontally extendeda valve clapper shaft 16 upon which is mountedithe:V valve clapper 17.The latterl comprises a circular,v prefer-F ably upwardly domed` centralportion of slightly greater diameter thanV the. dam 12 from whichdepends a narrow. peripheral flange 17 carrying ai plurality of: spacedl feet orlugs 18. The lclapper als'ovoompris-es a pair oflaterallyspaced outwardly extending `arms. 19 whichproject beyondith'eperiphery of the central portion ofthe clapper and terminatein bosses 20provided with squared holes 21 for thef.V passage -ofthe valve clappershaft lo1 ywhich is correspondingly squared throughoutthe portionthereof which `extends through. the pocket 15, asV best shown in; Fig.4.1 The clappedfshaft is l journaled-forV rotation in the. side wallsofY thepocket and .may be provided with an adj ustable glandfZQcooperativew-ith packingv 23V surrounding the shaft where itv passesthrough one. of saidfwalls sorasfto. prevent leakagefabout the shaftat1thatpoint5 while` the other end. ofthe shaft beyond ts'squaredportion is reduced in`l diameter and journaled sides of ."theVclapper-.as best showniny Fig.V

5, the height-of. the said feetbeing such that when the clapper 1sinfelosed position,

as shown in full lines in F ig. 1, the feeti'wifll rest on the bottom ofthe Vmoat 14 so that a. plurality of peripherallyjspacedv vents 2@substantially in the vform of elongated slots; are formed betweentl'eadjaeent side-edges .f ofthe lsev-eral feet, thebotto-1nfoftlieunoatandthe lower edg'eofvthe chipper, which latvalve.easing and supportedl by.- a narrowl lie terY .arranged to' lie'below-the le'vel' fof' the at one end to the free end of the shaftwhich projects beyond the gland 22 and at its other to a link 31 whichextends substantially horizontally rearwardly to terminate more or lessadjacent the upper endA of the ascension pipe at which point lthe-linkis connected vto a counterweirfht lever 32. This lever may be preferablyprovided with three arms extending in different directions from acentral web which is pivoted on a horizontally vdisposed pivot pin 33mounted in a bracket 34 in turn secured to an angle iron 35 extendingalong the front of the ascension pipes and supported therefrom. Thisconstitutes a convenient manner of mounting the bracket but any othersuitable method of so d-oing may be employed if desired.v Thecounterweight lever, which in Fig. 1 is shown in one position in dottedlines and in another position in dot and dash lines, is so arranged thatone of its arms, 3.7, extends in a generally upward direction from thepivot; to this arm, about midway between its ends, is connected thelinlr 31 while at the outer end of the arm is disposed. a counterweight38. The other two arms 3 9 and 40 of the lever 'are respectivelyarranged to entend more or less rearwardly and more or less downwardlyfrom the central web and, maybe conveniently provided at theirextremities with hooks for the reception of chains or the like (notshown) to enable the lever to be rotated about its pivot from a pointremote therefrom` v Theseveral parts to which reference has just beenmade are so arranged and proportioned that when the valve clapper is inclosed position, as shown in full lines in F ig. l, the link 3l isprojected rearwardly so that the arm 37 of the counterweight lever isdisposed in the rear of the vertical plane passing through the` axis ofthe pivot 33, while when the valve clapper is in open position, VasVshown in dot and dash lines in said figure, the link will be projectedforwardly and the lever arm swung to a-position on the opposite sideofand in front of said plane so that the counterweight will operate tohold the valve in such open posi'- t-ion. Thus by pulling lon either ofthe hooked arms 89 or 40 of the counterweight lever the valve clappermay be readily opened/or closed by the exercise of a relatively smallamount of force since as soon as the counterweight is moved over centerin its passage from one limit position to the other it thereafterassists in the movement of the valve and upon reaching the end of itspath of movement in either direction voperates to hold thevalveclajjiper "in either open or closed position. It will be apparentthat by reason ofthe arrangement and location ofthe counterweight leverthe latter may be conveniently operated to actuate the valve from aplurality of different points, such, for example, as the charging lorry4(not shown) in the rear of the ascension `"pipe or from the collectormain walk lV or from the top of the furnace as may be desired, thusfacilitating the operation of the furnace and reducing the laborrequisite therefor.

For the purpose of thoroughly flushing the interior-vof the valve casingand conduit with a suitable flushing liquid so as to cffect the removalof carbon deposits as rcquired, we prefer to provide a plurality ofspray nozzles through which said liquid may be introduced, one ofnozzles 42 being disposed to direct the fluid angularly downwardvontothe valve clapper and adjacent parts and another of said nozzles 43being arranged to direct ythe fluid more or less horizontally throughthe lower part of the conduit inthe direction of the valve clapper. Tothis end the valve casing may be provided at its forward side with anangularly disposed boss 42 `suitably bored and threaded for thereception of the nozzle 42 and with another substantially horizontallyextending boss43 disposed on the lower side of the conduit and suitablybored and threaded for the reception of the nozzle 43. Thus the fiuidissuing from thenozzle 42 is effective to thoroughly clean the uppersurface of the valve clapper and its ad jacent parts .while that issuingfrom 4the nozzle 43 'will impinge ony the interior of the forward side`of the valve casing and also against the lower face of the valveclapper when the latter is in :raised position.A i f With thepartsconstructed and assembled substantially in the lmanner which we haveillustrated and described, it will be apparent that the gases ascendingfrom the furnace through'the ascension pipe fwill be .directed intothefinterior of rthev valve casing.- and there passes to the collector`main thereafter controlled in conformity withthe position of the valveclapper 17 and thatby suitable actuation of the counterweight lever thevalve clapper may be movedxfrom open to closed position or vice versawhen'desired. It will be further apparent that the flushing liquid afterit'is injected into the interior of the'valve casing through the nozzles42 and 43 will flow by gravity intofthe moat 14, irrespective of the4position of the valve clapper, and collect therein until it attains asufficient depth` to overflow the upper edge fofthedam 12 and pass tothecollector main.. Thus, when the y clapper is in .closed Vposition withthefeet 18 resting on the bottom of"l the moat, .thelower edge of theclapper aswell as the ifeetareicontinuouslyf immersed in theliquid,thereby lao forming kan effective liquid .seal againstV the :passage ofthe lgases while any excess ofthe flushing 'liquid beyond -the amountrequired to keep the moat Vfull can continuously escape'from theinterior of the. casing through the Vents 27 and over the edge of thedam l2 thus preventing, under normal conditions, the accumulation of anundesirable quantity of said `liquid in the bottom of the valve casing.and in the'conduit. However, should such -accumulation take place owingto the introduction of'a great-I erV quantity of flushing liquid vthancan vent itself through the vents27 or owing to the accidental cloggingof the vents, the accumulated liquid lcannot overflow into theascension-pipe and thence to the furnace until thelevel thereof in thevalve` casing and conduit lhas .attained a point sufficient to allow thefluid to pass the elevated mouth of the conduit adjacent the flange 3, acondition which is extremely unlikely to occur under practicalconditions of operation. e

VVhilewe have herein illustrated and described a preferred embodiment ofour invention with considerable particularit-y land have shown the samein operative association with a by-product coke furnace, we Edo notthereby desire'or intend to confine the use ofl the invention solelythereto as it may -be employed with equal ."facility in association withother ltypes of furnaces, retorts .and the like, nor do weintend tothereby limit ourselves to the `precise embodiment of the invention towhich we` have referred as the design, arrangement and construction ofthe -various elements thereof may be modified in numerous particulars ifdesired without depart-ing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention 4asr defined 'inf :the appended claims.

Having thus described Jour invention, .we claim and'desire4 to protectby Letters Patent of the UnitedStates.:

1.#A deviceof the classudescribed comprising ay casing havingvan outlet,fa valve clapper inthe casing'adapted to be closed over said outlet,meansifo-r admitting `liquid to the casing, and meansf'for permittingaportion of `said liquidto escape into said outlet while said clapper isclosed thereover.

'2. A device of vthe class described comprising afcasing having anoutlet, a valve clapper iadaptedto close over the outlet in thev casing,means Vfor admitting liquid to the interior of the casing, and 'meansadapted'to receive and retain a portion of said liquid .and topermitthezbalance thereof to escape beneath said clapper vand into said outletwhile said clapper is closed thereover, said retained portion of saidliquid, in cooperationwith said clapper, forming a seal against thepassage lofgas from theinterior ofthe casing tolthe outlet.

3. A device of the class rdescribed com-- means adapted to permit the,escape bep neathfsaid clapper vandinto said outlet `of any liquid inexcess of that required to form said seal.

.4. `A device of the class described comprising a casinghaving anoutlet,.an annular dam Vsurrounding said outlet and extending above theVfloor of the casing, means for admittingliquid to the interior ofthecasingto surround said dam therewith, f.Y

valveclapper.disposed within said casing,

relatively movable vwith respect thereto and operative to lcloseover-the upper edge of said dam .andextend below said edge and into saidliquid `whereby a liquid seal is formed against the passage of lgas fromthe interior of the casing to said outlet and means adapted to permitthe escape. beneath said clapper and into vsaid outlet of anyliquidadmitted to the casing in excess of that required to form saidseal.

5. A .device of the class described comprisin-g a casing having anoutlet, an annular` dani surrounding said outlet and extending `abovethe floor of the casing, .a movable valve clapper .disposed in thecasing and adapted to close over the outlet and overhang the dam, saidclapperhaving a plurality of spaced feet depending from its lower edgeadapted to rest onthe floor of the casing when the clapper is in saidclosed position.

6. A device of the classgdescribed com` prising a casing having anoutlet, 'an annular `dam surrounding the outlet and Arising abc-vc theHoor of the casing, a valve clapper n positioned in the casing andadaptedr to be closed over said outlet ormoved toa position to afford afree passage through thc outlet, the clapper being provided y,vvithjaplurality of spaced feet'depending.y from Vits edge and adapted to reston the floor of the casing when the clapper is closed over the outletwhereby a plurality of vents are afforded through which liquidaccumulatedV in the bottom Vof the casing may escape beneath the edgeoftheclapper and over the edge of said dam into said outlet.

7. A device o-f theclass described comprising a valve casing having; anoutlet, au inlet conduit extending from the. casing and having its inletendat a higher level than its outlet end, a valve clapper inther casingadapted to be closed over said outlet, means for admitting liquid tothe-casing, and means 'ill for permitting a portion of said liquid toescape into said outlet when said clapper is closed thereover. v

8, A device ot' the class described coniprising a casing, an inletconduit extending Jfrom said casing and hai/*ing its inlet end disposedat a greater height with respect to the casing than the end whichcommunicates therewith, an outlet in the bottoni ot the casing, anannular dani surrounding said outlet and rising above the floor of thecasing', a valve elapper inovably disposed Within the casing and adaptedto close over said dani and extend below the upper edge thereoil, meansfor directing flushing liquid into the casing in a plurality oidifferent directions, and means for pern'iitting the escape of a portionof said fluid beneath the valve clapper and into said outlet when theclapper is closed thereover.

9. A device of the class described coinprising a valve casing providedwith an outlet and an inlet conduit extending from the fasing and havingits inlet end disposed at a higher level than its outlet end7 a valveclapper adapted to close over said casing outlet, means 'for admittingflushing liquid to the interior of the casing in a substantiallirhorizontal direction, means for admitting flushing liquid to the casingin a direction to impinge on the top of the clapper when closed over theoutlet, and means adapted to receive and retain a portion of said liquidand to permit the balance to escape into said outlet when said clapperis closed thereover, said retained portion of said liquid in cooperationwith said clapper forming a seal against the passage of gas from theinterior of the casing to the outlet.

In Witness whereof, We have hereunto set our hands this 24th day ofSeptember, 1925.

HERBERT C. WILLIAMSON. BUF ORD M. STUBBLEFIELD.

